This page was last updated on May 23, 2004.

Referendums bad public policy; State Rep. Mike Veon; May 23, 2004.

Also see Democrat Veon says taxpayers can’t be trusted.

In summary, Mr. Veon does not trust local voters to make the right choices with respect to public education.

I generally favor the republic form of government.  That is, we elect officials to follow the will of the people.  However, since school boards and the General Assembly have fumbled government education for so long, I support the direct input of voters with respect to government education until we can eliminate government education as we know it.  The people must have this recourse when their elected officials demonstrate no ability to do their jobs.

Below are responses to specific portions of Mr. Veon’s letter.

“Legislators and school board members are elected to lead.”

[RWC] I do not elect legislators and school boards to lead anything.  At most I want these employees of the people to manage government services according to the wishes of the people.  That is the opposite of Mr. Veon’s position.  In my opinion, the only government leader in the United States is the President.

“I oppose shifting difficult public policy decisions from elected officials to voters by requiring referendums.”

[RWC] I could be wrong, but I interpret this statement to mean we dumb voters cannot deal with “difficult” decisions and do the right thing.  I believe my interpretation is correct because the belief that individuals cannot do the right thing underlies liberalism.

“Anyone who doubts the problems with a referendum procedure only need look west to Ohio, one of the states where it has resulted in deadlock and schizophrenic school budget planning.  Passing school budgets election by election based on political considerations and electioneering is just bad public policy.”

[RWC] While alleging problems without providing proof, Mr. Veon did not mention Ohio ranks higher than Pennsylvania on just about every student performance measure while spending about $1,500 less per student.¹  Which should be a higher priority, a smooth budget process or student performance?

“In the broad sweep of American history, the success of public education is the best explanation for American success in the world.

[RWC] Leave it to a socialist not to recognize that capitalism “is the best explanation for American success in the world.”

“Public education created our middle class, built a democratic society with social and economic mobility and fueled America’s ‘can do’ business climate.  This is no time to politicize public education.”

[RWC] Mr. Veon should check his history.  Government schools did not exist in Pennsylvania until the 1830s, long after the the birth of the United States.  Even then they were only elementary schools.  Pennsylvania and the United States were successful long before this time.

Don’t get me wrong, education is very important for the success of a republic.  What I object to is the overstatement of the impact of government schools.

The translation of “This is no time to politicize public education.” is “taxpayers should sit down and shut up.”  If Mr. Veon is truly serious about getting politics out of government education, he would propose the elimination of government education.  Only when education becomes an individual responsibility will we eliminate the politics, improve quality, and reduce cost.  As long as taxpayer dollars pay for government schools, there is no way to remove politics from the issue.

“A study by the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg reviewed all available research on back-end referendum for public education throughout the country.”

[RWC] We can pretty much ignore anything produced by the KRC.  Mr. Veon failed to note the KRC is a liberal think tank believing in socialist “solutions” to all problems.

1. Report Card on American Education: A State-by-State Analysis, 1980-2002; Jack R. Stevens and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.; American Legislative Exchange Council; November 2003.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.